Letters: The revelation that could force Boris to resign

The lie’s the thing

Sir: Your leading article (‘Partygate’s hangover’, 2 April) maintains that if the Prime Minister receives a fixed penalty notice, he shouldn’t have to resign. No fair-minded person would disagree with this, for such a resignation would indeed be absurd. However, there is a more serious issue. The Prime Minister repeatedly assured the House of Commons that all Covid guidelines were followed in Downing Street. If it is found that he knowingly misled MPs with these claims, then the Ministerial Code is entirely clear: he would have to resign.

John Hatt

Firbank, Cumbria

Thatcher’s war

Sir: Charles Moore writes that if Margaret Thatcher had failed to retake the Falklands, she would probably have had to resign (Notes, 2 April). I believe he is right on that but I would add that her successor would probably have found it difficult to win the next general election. In addition, I think that if Argentina had not invaded the Falklands in the first place, she could well have lost the next general election, because the British victory helped to distract from any adverse effects of her economic policies.

J. Alan Smith

Epping, Essex

West End gulls

Sir: I was delighted to see the article about urban gulls (‘Gull power’, 2 April). It is reassuring that those of us who have been fighting the intransigence of Natural England for some years are not alone in recognising the menace of the massive population explosion about to be visited on the country.

Gloucester City Council first took gull control measures in 2009 after surveys showed an annual increase in gull numbers of some 16 per cent. The controls involved oiling or removal of eggs and removal of nests from city centre rooftops. This reduced the annual population growth to about 3 per cent.